1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a food material supply apparatus for continuously supplying masses of solid or semi-fluid food materials. More particularly, it relates to a food material supply apparatus in which a food material that is a mixture of meat, vegetables, etc., is continuously supplied in a cup-shaped form. This apparatus can be advantageously used for producing a food product of a small size wrapped by a cup-form dough coating, such as, for example, a shao-mai, a type of oriental food.
2. Prior Art
Various kinds of apparatus for manufacturing shao-mai's are now available and sold on the market. The material feeding mechanism used in the prior art apparatus resorts to forced extrusion of food materials by a screw or by the suction and extrusion of food materials by the combination of a piston and a cylinder. The extrusion of food materials in the manner stated above leads to various disadvantages such as the destruction of the tissue structure of the food materials and the liberation of water from them. Its metering of the amount of the food materials is inaccurate. This leads to a lowered quality product.